Hello Juniatians!

Happy New Year! The new semester is upon us!

I hope that your time away from campus has been restful and full of opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate for the semester ahead. Prayerfully your break wasn’t like my family who spent all of it sick and being tested for COVID twice (one for symptoms and the other for exposure). Thankfully all tests were negative but we still were in for a not-so-healthy winter break. The bonus would be that we got a LOT of sleep.

Over the last weeks we have lost several key global figures whose work and presence made life a little brighter for many – Bishop Desmond Tutu and actors Sidney Poitier, Betty White and Bob Saget. What I found so special to see was a particular meme about the life of Betty White which said “Live you life so well that 99 years will seem too short.” Words well spoken!

Updates

  • Members of the Senior Leadership Team embarked on part 1 of their Cultural Intelligence: CQ Journey. Each member has developed their own action plan and were assigned accountability partners to help them through the remainder of the process.
  • Sarah Worley and I presented to the Huntingdon Rotary Club in preparation for the MLK Day of Service on Saturday, January 22nd.
  • A new position in the Office of EDI has been posted on various job posting sites.

Opportunity for Participation – This new category will share opportunities for you to become involved in things related to EDI on campus!

  • MLK Day of Service – If you would like to participate in the MLK Day of Service on Saturday, January 22, 2022, there are limited spots available.
  • Sing in a GOSPEL CHOIR – If you have ever dreamed of singing in a Gospel Choir at any point in your life, the opportunity is here for you. I will gather faculty, staff and students to sing together for the culminating event of Celebrate EDI at Juniata 2022. This choir will come together for a one-time ONLY opportunity to sing together. If you are interested in participating, fill out the attached form: https://forms.gle/pr94iVCFDCvehJpL6
  • Soul Food Inspired Dinner – The Office of EDI will host a soul food inspired dinner in Baker on Tuesday, January 18th from 5-8. The cost of faculty or staff members will be covered by the office. Please RSVP at the attached link so we can anticipate how many will be a part of the dinner: https://forms.gle/hkHZaYtLPoehZsnC8

MLK Week 2022 Events

  • Monday, January 17th – Day of alumni sharing their community project work in honor of MLK National Day of Service.
  • Tuesday, January 18th – Soul Food inspired dinner in Baker from 5-8 pm. EDI will provide a dinner swipe for faculty, staff and administration who RSVP for the meal.
  • Wednesday, January 19th – Keynote address by Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle titled “Through the Lens of a Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in A100 at 6 pm
  • Thursday, January 20th – Volunteer sign-up and T-shirt Tie Dye event from 4-7 pm in Ellis Ballroom. This time will provide all volunteers an opportunity to pick up their shirts for our day of service on Saturday
    Also on Thursday, EDI Council has organized an informal conversation related to community building at Juniata Brewing Company from 7-8 pm. Members of the Huntingdon Community are invited. Special thanks to Sean Steeg for the invitation!
  • Friday, January 21st – Showing of the movie Selma in A100 at 7 pm
  • Saturday, January 22nd – MLK Day of Service from 10 am – 3 pm. The schedule is as follows – 10 am – Welcome; 10:30 am – departure for project locations/start of project work; 12-12:30 pm – Lunch Break; 12:30-3 pm – continuation of project work
     

Mark your calendars for March 27-April 1st for Celebrate EDI at Juniata 2022.

Be called to move beyond the act into action!

These days we live in a never-ending cycle of finger pointing, blame shifting and verbal and psychological violence towards one another. It often results in an act that leaves deep wounds that are difficult to recover from. At this moment, I would ask that we consider are we more excited about the act of making our voice heard and less so about the action that can bring about change after our voices are heard. We must all make a conscious effort to move beyond the act and into action to make the people and places around us better.

 

Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle
Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion